... First of all, we need a component which changes its conductance as the temperature changes. Almost every common conducting material does change its conductance somewhat as its temperature varies. However, some make greater changes for a smaller degree of change. (ie. they have a high resolution) Most thermistors are made of semiconductor metal oxides whose resistance decreases very rapidly with temperature. These are called negative temperature coefficient (ntc) thermistors. As the temperature rises, more charge carriers are available and the conductance increases. Due to the larger resistance change with temperature of an ntc thermistor, they are usually more suitable than positive temperature coefficient thermistors. However as mentioned above, the resistance change is non-linear which is a drawback as it means that calibration is required. Standard thermistors operate from -55 °C to 150 °C although some have been shown to operate up to 300 °C. I have decided to use a thermistor in ...

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